Traveling block



June 13, 1950 A. R. MAIER 2,511,729

I TRAVELING BLOCK Filed NOV- 24, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet l Fll3-1- O 404057E. Mfl/LP,

June 13, 1950 I A. R. MAIER 2,511,729

TRAVELING BLOCK Y Filed Nov. 24, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lwuentoi': 61/6057 E Mfi/[Q hi War/26y Patented June 13, 1950 UNITED STAT-ES PATENT.orrics 2,511,729 v TRAVELING BLOCK August a. Meier, Dallas, Ten,assignor to on Well Supply Company, a corporation of New JerseyApplication November 24, 1948, Serial No. 61,858

3 Claims. (Cl. 254192) This invention relates to traveling blocks forhoisting equipment, such as well drilling rigs. and particularly toimproved mounting means for the bearing pin.

In many types of equipment, such as drilling rigs, there is a premium onspace, making it essential that the dimensions of traveling blocks andother components be kept to a minimum. Also for promoting safety thewalls of such blocks must be free of outward protrusions.

An object of the present invention is to provide traveling blocks havingimproved pin mounting means which leave the housing walls virtuallysmooth and reduce the over-all thickness of the block over previous pinmountings with which I am familiar, and yet furnish a forcetransmittingcontact between the pin and the full thickness of bothhousing walls and also enable the blocks to be assembled or dismantledreadily.

In accomplishing this, and other objects of the invention, I haveprovided improved details of structure, a preferred form of which isshown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a vertical sectional view of a traveling block which has animproved pin mounting means embodying features of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the block? Figure 3 is a verticalsectional view taken substantially on line III-III of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an end elevational view of the bearing pin removed from theblock; and

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on line V-Vof Figure 1.

In the drawing there is shown a traveling block which comprises ahousing Ill and a bearing pin I2. The latter supports the usual sheavesl3, preferably on anti-friction bearings i4. Except for the novel meanswhich mounts the pin in the housing walls, the block may be of anystandard construction and hence is not described in further detail.

In accordance with the present invention, pin I2 is cylindrical and isreceived in axially aligned apertures IS in opposite side walls of thehousing. The end portions of the pin have force transmitting contactswith the housing walls through the full thickness of the latter. The endfaces of the pin are substantially flush with the outer faces of thesewalls and contain diametric grooves l6, preferably of a depthsubstantially equal to the thickness of the housing walls. Said wallshave rabbeted sections H, which form continuations of grooves It whenthe pin is asz sembled with the housing. These rabbeted sections areofsomewhat less depth than the thickness of the walls.

Retaining bars l8 are received within grooves It in the ends of the pinand have thinner end extensions I 9 that are received within rabbetedsections I! in the housing walls (Fig. 5). Removable cap screws 20 fixthe retaining bars to the pin. The outer faces of the retaining bars andthe ends of cap screws likewise are flush with the ends of the pin andhousing walls. The only breaks in the otherwise smooth side walls of theblock at the region of the pin are at the lubricating passages 2| in theends of. the pin and in the sockets or notches in the ends of the capscrews.

The foregoing construction reduces the thickness of the block over usualpin mounting means with which I am familiar, since the mounting means iscontained fully within the thickness necessitated by the sheaves andhousing walls. Hence the over-all thickness is confined to that neededfor the sheaves and housing walls. The faces of these wallsaresubstantially flush and have no protrusions of any ad.

While I have shown and described only a single embodiment of theinvention, it is apparent that modifications may arise. Therefore, I donot wish to be limited to the disclosure set forth but only by the scopeof the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a traveling block having a housing, a plurality of sheaves and abearing pin rotatably supporting said sheaves in said housing, meansmounting said pin in said housing comprising retaining bars and screwthreaded fasteners, said pin having a groove in each of its end faces,the walls of said housing having rabbeted sections forming continuationsof each of said grooves, said retaining bars being received in saidgrooves and extending into said rabbeted sec' tions, said threadedfasteners securing said retaining bars to said pin, the outer faces ofthe housing walls and said pin and said mounting means all beingsubstantially flush, the pin having force transmitting contact with thehousing walls through the full thickness of the latter, and the over-allthickness of said block being confined to that needed for the sheavesand housing walls.

2. In a traveling block having a housing, a plurality of sheaves, and abearing pin rotatably supporting said sheaves in said housing meansmounting said pin in said housing comprising retaining bars and capscrews, said pin having a diametric groove in each of its end faces, thewalls of saidhousing having rabbeted sections forming continuations 01'each of said grooves, said retaining bars being received in said groovesand extending into said rabbeted sections, said cap screws securing saidretaining bars to said pin, the end faces 01' said pin and of said capscrews and the outer faces oi'- said retaining bars and of the walls ofsaid housing all being sub stantially flush, the pin having forcetransmitting contact with the housing walls through the full thicknessof the latter.

3. In a traveling block having a housing, a plurality of sheaves. and abearing pin rotatably supporting said sheaves in said housing, meansmounting said pin in said housing comprising retaining bars and capscrews, said pin having a diametric groove in each of its end faces of adepth approximating the thickness of the walls of said housing, thesewalls having rabbeted sections forming continuations 01 each of saidgrooves but being 01' less depth, said retaining bars being received insaid grooves and having thinner end portions extending into saidrabbeted sections, said cap screws securing said retaining bars to saidpin, the end faces 01' said pin and 0! said can screws and the outerfaces of said retaining bars and of the walls of said housing all beingsubstantially flush, the pin having force transmitting contact with thehousing walls through the. full thickness oi the latter, and theover-all thickness of said block being confined to that needed for thesheaves and the housing walls.

AUGUST R. MAIER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

' UNI'IEDBTATES PATENTS

